UPDATE 12:10 PM Prime Minister Dorin Recean announced that on the recommendation of SIS, the ESC decided to suspend the licenses of 6 TV stations “promoting foreign interests”.

“In the Republic of Moldova we are daily subjected to hybrid attacks from the Russian Federation. In recent weeks, these threats have increased in intensity. Russia, through organised criminal groups, wants to influence the local elections on 5 November and undermine the democratic process.

These TV stations are subordinate to the criminal groups Plahotniuc and Shor, who have joined forces to destabilise the country. We have evidence that these stations are pursuing an interest outside Moldova for destabilising purposes. We will not allow this and will act promptly and decisively in the interest of citizens every time,” Recean wrote on social media.

Original news:

The activity of six TV stations will be suspended during the state of emergency in Moldova. The Intelligence and Security Service (SIS) has proposed to the Commission for Exceptional Situations (CSE) to “suspend” the broadcasting licenses of six TV stations: Orizont TV, ITV, Prime, Publika TV, Canal 2 and Canal 3.

The announcement was made by SIS chief Alexandru Musteața at a press briefing on Monday 30 October. The official said that these TV stations were operating with “multiple violations of the law”, as found by the Audiovisual Council (AC) and SIS.

“They represent a threat to information security. These stations constantly promote manipulative narratives, which together with the information aggression promoted by the external factor generate an additional source of instability in the neighbourhood of Ukraine, NATO and the EU. The editorial policy of these stations is aimed at launching a disinformation campaign in the interest of individuals or legal entities included in the international sanctions lists of the EU, the US, as well as the criminal group Shor. At the same time, for the exercise of external hybrid influence by the state actor Russian Federation (…)”, Mustautas said.

The SIS chief also announced that he had signed an order on Monday to block 31 websites, “21 of which are directly managed by the Russian Federation”.

The government has not yet published the decision of the ESC including the measures proposed by SIS.

On 16 December 2022, the ESC also approved a decision to suspend the broadcasting licences of six TV stations in Moldova during the state of emergency. These are the channels “First in Moldova”, “RTR Moldova”, “Accent TV”, “NTV Moldova”, “TV6” and “Orhei TV”.

According to the CSE provision, the decision was taken “in order to protect the national information space and prevent the risk of disinformation through the spread of false information or attempts to manipulate public opinion, based on the list of natural and legal persons subject to international sanctions and available information on their control over some media service providers, as well as the multiple findings in the monitoring reports of the Audiovisual Council on violations of the Audiovisual Media Services Code of the Russian Federation. Moldova, including the application of sanctions for lack of correct information in the coverage of national events and the war in Ukraine”.